Tremors 5: Shocks from the Past
by Darth-Rockwell
Summary: Taking place shortly after the events of Tremors 3 and right at the start of the series a couple of old firends decide to drop by. However they haven't been keeping up with what has been going on in Perfection.
1. Default Chapter

A hot dry wind began to blow through the shrubbery that grew in the harsh climate of Nevada's Perfection Valley. Beating down the sun did little to help in keeping the valley cool, the sun was easy to deal with it was the blasted wind. It added a dryness that made it seem all that much hotter. It was a lot hotter the Val McKee had ever remembered it. With the air-conditioner on high he and his wife were headed to where they first meet and to see people they had not seen in a while. He smiled to himself because no one knew they were coming, no one but El Blanco.  
  
TREMORS 5: Shocks From The Past  
  
"Burt how many times do I got to tell you, you cannot have guns laying all over the store. It frightens the tourists hurts business." Jodi Chang was not in the mood to deal with Burt today, the heat had gotten to her days ago and was not doing wonders for her personality. Three days, three continues non-stop days of this hot blistering wind blowing. The forecast called for it to continue for another four. It was times like these she thought of leaving Perfection but she always quickly dismissed it because there was a huge profit to be made in this town that is if one knew how to go about it.  
"Even you can't deny that me that my expertise become dull. After all if I do not keep sharp this town is likely to come under attack," Burt gave her a smile as he continued to polish the barrel of one of his Winchesters, "Besides you're the one who invited me to show my collection to draw more people to this valley, which I might add I thought was a bad idea from the start. None the less as a good friend I agreed to help you and here I am now being told that I am scaring your costumers."  
"Don't start with me Burt," Jodi stated, "When a kid finds a gun the Butterfinger box you've gone to far."  
"That one was there because I didn't want people playing with it. It all ready has a broken sight now because when you yelled at the child he dropped it," He countered.  
The store was empty in fact it had been empty since the second day if this blasted windstorm. Nancy, Rosality, and Tyler had all gone to Vegas for the week to try and sell some of Nancy's pottery. However that didn't help Jodi's mood any because she now would not be the only seller of Graboid merchandise and people would not be motivated to come to the place that had made these creatures famous. It had been bad enough when Nancy and Mindy sold the Assblaster to those magicians but to take specialized merchandise out of the valley seemed to Jodi a low blow.  
It wouldn't have been so bad if Twitchell hadn't been around making a big production over little things. The whole idea of a gun show put on by Burt had him up in arms and he was letting people know it. Yet for the moment there was peace from him, his wife had called him and requested he return home immediately.  
Two people around each other and no one else for an extend time, be it only two days in this case, could get honoree with each other, even if they were good friends.  
"Burt just don't start," She began but was cut off as the ground started to shake. It seemed El Blanco had decided to pay town a visit today, something he hadn't done for a week. Everything feel silent and neither one moved tell El Blanco was well out of town.  
Trying to lighten the mood Burt smiles and says, "At least he's starting to act normal again. Life would get boring if we didn't have to constantly worry about getting eaten." Finally something allowed for a laugh and the air was cleared between the two friends, even if for only a little while.  
  
"What the hell!" Val tried to keep the truck going straight as all of a sudden it veered as if a large lump had gone under the road. Pulling over to the shoulder he began to open the door.  
"Be careful," a touch of concern in Rhonda's voice.  
"Don't worry there aint no danger out here anymore. Ol' Burt took care of the last Graboid in South America." He smiled at her and got out of the car to see if they had a flat or if something was wrong with the road. As he walked around the car he didn't see anything that would have caused what they experienced but coming down the side of the road straight towards him was a dirt trial.  
  
Twitchell was in a huff, humiliated in front of those he was sent to keep inline. Whatever was going on at home better be damn well important. He had been so close to being able to get rid of Gummer. His little gun show had put the public in danger that kid who found the gun in the candy box could have been hurt. Most people would have felt bad for showing the kid where the gun was in the first place but Twitchell needed something to nail Burt on.  
As he reached into the passenger set to get his sun glasses he noticed a glint of metallic off in the distance almost like a car pulled over on the side of the road. As he got closer he saw it wasn't a car but a truck and El Blanco had decided to pay it a visit.  
He pulled up beside it and saw that there were two people inside of it, a man and a woman. Unrolling his window he waited for them to do the same. When they had he introduced himself, "I'm officer Twitchell in charge of making sure no one hurts the indangered species. You didn't do anything to hurt, damage, or maim or local wildlife did you?" He so secretly hoped they did so he could take them in.  
"Endangered species my ass, that's a fricken Graboid," the man said, "Why hasn't Burt gotten rid of it, does he even know it's here!?"  
"Calm down sir, we know it's a Grabiod," Twitchell was not impressed in the slightest with this man and wished he could just leave them to be eaten, "This area is protected by the U.S. Government act of Endangered species. Hunting, killing, or anything else that would harm El Blanco is stircktly illegal. Mr. Gummer is fully aware of this." He tired to make it sound like he cared but it came out unmotivated and sarcastic. "Now do you need a lift into town do to your situation of three flat tires?" 


	2. unexpected vistors

A beat up brown Bronco rolled into the town of Perfection and pulled to a stop in front of Chang's Market. Burt and Jodi both made their way out onto the little wood porch because both one had seen this vehical before and the windows were tinted so they couldn't make out who was inside. About at the same time all four doors popped open and a ruff voice could be heard. "Darn it Valentine how come you always end up in trouble with the law and I have to come save your sorry ass?" Getting out where two woman and two men, Val and Earl had returned to Perfection.  
  
The snap hiss of bottles being opened filled Chang's Market as Burt and Jodi opened beers and bags of chips and laid them on the table. "So what's brought you two back here?" Jodi asked inquisitaly, "We haven't seen either one of you for quite some time. I mean the last time I saw you was at," she paused, "Walters memorial." She hurried off into the back of the store.  
  
All watched Jodi go and Burt just sighed, "She's never been able to get over his death, but she's a good girl and would have made him proud. Hell she's about as shrewd as he was at business."  
  
"Well Burt it aint been that long for us, why the hell didn't you blow that thing up?" Earl said as he picked up a beer and leaned back in one of the chairs, "You let the feds come in here and protect the damn thing. Only good worm is a dead one."  
  
Leaning over the table with his finger in Earl's chest Burt said with as much control as he could, "I didn't let them, Nancy called them for help when the things showed up again."  
  
"Wooo boys calm down," Val jumps up from his chair and spreads the two apart, "It's just a giant man eating worm that shares the area where human inhabitants live! Damn it Burt couldn't ya do it right before they showed up, or hell we'll help ya now make it look like an accident."  
  
"Can't do, that little shit Melvin is trying to buy up the valley and turn it into a housing development. That worms all that's keeping him out of here," a touch of resentment and forlorn in his voice.  
  
"Should have figured," putting the beer back on the table Earl gets up and walks to the door.  
  
"It's really not that bad, we have seismometers all over the valley and little watches that tell us when he's near. Besides he's stuck as a Grabiod don't have to worry about Shrikers or Assblasters," Burt wasn't talking more then thinking.  
  
"Assblasters?" Rhonda and Kate say together, looking at each other.  
  
"You mean they have another stage in their life cycle? Has anyone been able to document any of it," Kate had slipped into science mode and Rhonda seemed just as curies.  
  
"Wait just a god damn minute," Val said, "You mean these things change?"  
  
"I told ya they did when I got back from Mexico you idiot," Earl said, "But they change again? What they do grow wings," Earl laughed at what he thought was a joke but by the look on Burts face and where Jodi froze as she was coming back to join them, "Tell me they don't grow wings."  
  
The sun began to set and everyone had been filled in on what had been going on in the Valley for the last few years. It had changed from a blistering hot wind to a freezing cold wind however it had not stopped. If anything the wind had intensified and sand was beginning to be blown about the streets and against everything. Jodi was outside closing the wood shutters over the windows of the store, Burt, Val and Earl were talking over by Burt's truck, and Rhonda and Kate were busily engaged in talking by Earls Bronco.  
  
"You know what this means," Kate was trying to curb he enthusiasm, "We can actually study a live specimen in it's natural habitat."  
  
"The guys wont allow that and you know it, besides we don't have any of the equipment we would need," Rhonda was just as excited as Kate but was worse at hiding it. "Besides you know what they would say if we told them we were going to study it."  
  
"They'll be to busy trying to out piss each other trying to impress Burt, besides how often do you see an alive specimen of a Grabiod. Val and Earl have had their time in the lime light don't you think us girls deserve some?" Kate asked coyly.  
  
"I've been chased by these things before, they're fast. If I was to study them I would want to be able to kill it if it decided to eat me," was Rhonda's reply.  
  
"Where's your since of adventure?" She elbowed Rhonda  
  
"What have you two ladies been talking about," Earl comes up and places his arm around Kate's waist and looks at Rhonda, "Hope you to science ladies aint getting any funny ideas about that worm."  
  
"There smarter then that Earl," Val said as he came over and opened one of the doors, "Now get in the truck so we can get to Burt's."  
  
Burt's place was sparsely furnished; he hadn't taken the time to fix it up since he blew it up. A card table with chairs was under a light and that's where the group was at the moment eating a dinner that the girls had fixed.  
  
"Grady wants you to come by the park, thinks it will be a good publicity stunt ta have the real Burt Gummer there to meet people and sign autographs. Ol' Val's been there a couple times but no one comes," Earl hit Val's arm as he finished talking.  
  
"I don't know I don't like to leave the valley. Besides the others are in town that would leave Jodi all alone. That and Twitchell would come up with something to keep us from reentering the valley I'm sure," turning to Val Burt continued, "Earl said something about you being in trouble with that law, what did you do."  
  
Under his breath Val said, "I hit some guy who told me that the worm was endangered." He quickly stuffed another bite of food in his mouth.  
  
"You did what!" Burt leaned into him, "Tell me it wasn't a short fat balding man in a bad suit, oh god please tell me it wasn't."  
  
"Burt," Rhonda placed a hand on his arm, "Calm down Val didn't know."  
  
Flopping back in his chair Burt couldn't help but just shake his head and laugh. 


	3. Unexpected Suprise

The day had just broke and Burt was up with the dawn. He had perimeter checks to make, graboid monitors to check, and make sure no damn tourist had come into the area the previous night. As he entered his kitchen stretching he noticed some of the things were out of place. Doing a quick check he found a pan dirty, two plates freshly washed and four eggs and some of the ham gone form his fridge. Some one had to be awake for this to happen so he did a quick check of the house and found no one. Figuring that maybe they had gone back to the spare bedrooms Burt decided to go back and knock.  
Knocking on the door to Val's room there was no immediate answer. After the second time he added, "Damnit Valentine aren't you awake yet? Don't you know it's six o'clock all ready? The days wasting away. Get up you lazy piece of filth." Hearing moans from the room he decided his job was done. Well it wasn't Val and Rhonda who were awake it must be Earl and Kate.  
He banged on Earl's door but no answer. He banged louder still no answer, just then Val came out of his room and looked up and down the hall. Seeing Burt he came up to him he had a look of bewilderment on his face. "But you seen Rhonda? She aint in the room."  
Upon hearing this Burt opened Earl's door, his mind had put two and two together and he didn't like what they added up to. Sure enough it was exactly as he had thought. There was Earl asleep and snoring and Kate was gone. "Valentine you get his lazy ass up and meet me in the kitchen once you do." Burt stormed off into the kitchen pulling the radio down and thumbing on the switch. "Jodi This is Burt come in." No answer. "Jodi wake up this is Burt, over." Raising his voice a little, "Jodi this is not time to be sleeping we got to boogies out in the desert trying to study El Blanco. Wake up, over."  
  
Burt's truck bounced over the dessert terrain as he drove in hot pursuit of the direction El Blanco was headed. If they hadn't been eaten yet the worm was probably headed towards Kate and Rhonda. "What are those two thinking? I swear you're the only two men who don't know when their wife's get up to get into trouble." He wasn't really mad at Fred and Val but he had to vent. It wasn't like these four people didn't know what these worms did. After all they all had lived through them at least once.  
"Listen Burt," Val started, "We aint got no control over them woman. Hell you should know that with what you went through with Heather." The next thing Val knew Earl and smacked him upside the head and he was being propelled forward as Burt slammed the truck to a stop.  
Under his breathe Earl muttered, "Way ta go hot shot. Talk your self out this one."  
Burt looked at Val with contempt in his eyes; he had his sunglasses in one hand and the other in a fist. "Don't you ever talk to me about that you understand Valentine. It isn't any of your business knowing what did and did not happen. Alls I care I could leave these two to the mercy of El Blanco."  
"Calm down Burt," Earl just couldn't let Val handle this. After all his wife was out there too. "You know he talks before he thinks. Just some stupid punk kid. But we love him anyway." He glanced at Val with a keep your mouth shut look and then added, "Lets just keep rolling." 


End file.
